Arrow - The Brave and the Bold - Review - "Flarrow Part 2"

Arrow, “The Brave and the Bold,” was the second half of the television event crossover with The Flash. It wasn’t, however, a second part in the sense that the two stories were really related. You could easily watch only one or the other and still completely understand the story. The episode story was written by Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg while the teleplay was written by Marc Guggenheim and Grainne Godfree, who also writes for The Flash. The episode was directed by Jesse Warn, who has directed both shows previously. It was a solid episode with some spectacular fights and like the best Arrow episodes, the flashbacks scenes really shed light on the present storyline.

The crossover is actually sparked by Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin’s (Danielle Panabaker) curiosity about the “Arrow Cave.” On the pretense of picking up the DNA sample from Sara’s (Caity Lotz) murder, they show up at Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickards) office. Valdes is one of my new favorites in the DC-CW universe. It’s hard not to feel his glee when he asks to see “the toys”! I like both shows and the casts from both, so I was happy with the balance in the episode. It felt like the core team members all got enough to do.

The episode opens with Arsenal – Roy (Colton Haynes), Diggle (David Ramsey), and Oliver (Stephen Amell) investigating a house. It’s really cool to see how the team is working seamlessly with Oliver and Roy shooting exploding arrows simultaneously. When Argus shows up, they learn that Boomerang (Digger Harkness – played by Nick Tarabay) was an Argus agent. When Digg asks Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson), she stonewalls him by saying it’s an internal Argus matter – she neglects to tell him that Boomerang is after her. I liked how they showed the relationship between Diggle and Lyla – she calls him Johnny, and he calls her sweetie – at least when he wants something.

Neither Oliver nor Roy are all that happy to have visitors in the “Arrow cave.” Oliver is clearly displeased as Cisco gleefully examines all the “toys,” and Roy asks pointedly when they started selling tickets. Roy warms up to Cisco when he prefers Roy’s red suit to Oliver’s green though. I loved Caitlin asking what the salmon ladder is for, and Felicity muttering “distracting my from work.” It’s also hilarious later on when the Flash (Grant Gustin) discovers it and plays with, resulting in a craving for sushi!

They manage to track Boomerang and pinpoint him at Argus headquarters. Caitlin and Cisco call Barry (the Flash) because Arsenal and Arrow may take too long in getting there. Of course they still beat the Flash, and there’s a terrific two on one fight as they take on Boomerang to let Lyla and Diggle, who he had pinned down, get away. We also find out that Arsenal has two batons in his suit that he can use to fight in hand to hand combat in addition to his bow – which he loses early in the fight.

Back in the lair, Lyla finally fills in the team. Digger Harkness was an ASIS agent specializing in weapons and technology who went bad and became a mercenary. He was subsequently “recruited” for the Suicide Squad. He was part of a team on a mission that went south. Lyla was in charge of the mission and ordered the team “sanitized,” but Harkness’ brain-bomb malfunctioned and he wasn’t killed. Clearly he has good reason to want revenge on Lyla.

It’s hilarious when Barry comes back with his sushi and doesn’t bother to conceal his identity. The look on Lyla’s face is priceless, and Caitlin is not happy. It was really great to see more of Anderson in this episode. Barry assumes that Diggle and Lyla are married, and even if they aren’t married they are a couple so he must have told her who he was. I loved Diggle just shaking his head at Barry.

Oliver actually tries to get Barry to go home. He tells him that Sterling City is meaner than Central City. Barry insists that he’s ready to help and that he’s been practicing everything Oliver was trying to teach him in the previous episode – on The Flash. I thought this was a really nice way to distinguish the two series which are really quite different in tone. Arrow is much darker than Flash which can often be much more lighthearted, and this theme is played throughout the episode. That said the two teams do work well to uncover the evidence to track Boomerang through the guy – Marcos (Adam Lolacher) – who made the boomerang that they recovered at the fight at Argus.

Even after Oliver tells Barry they will do things his way, Barry rushes in and ties everyone up before the rest of the team come in. It’s still very much a game to Barry. However, when it comes to getting information out of Marcos, Oliver shoots him in the shoulder with an arrow and then twists it to get him to talk. Barry is clearly appalled. Barry says you tortured that guy, and Oliver simply sees it as interrogation – a means to a necessary end. We do get another hilarious moment when Barry whisks Marcos away and leaves him handcuffed in Quentin’s (Paul Blackthorne) office. Blackthorne’s reaction is priceless.

Barry says to Oliver that he thought they were better than the bad guys, better than torture. Oliver tries to explain that he is who he is because of everything he’s been through, like seeing his mother killed in front of him. I loved that Barry called Oliver on this: “My mother was killed in front of me too. But I don’t use my personal tragedies as an excuse to torture whoever pisses me off.” To which Oliver replies, “I’m not as emotionally healthy as you are.” Gustin really demonstrates in this episode a large reason of why The Flash has been so successful – he can do the endearing light-hearted moments, but he can also really deliver the dramatic moments too.

The flashbacks deal with Oliver learning how to “interrogate.” Waller (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) wants him to learn where a bomb in planted in Hong Kong. It’s a really nice parallel to the present to see Oliver’s reaction to Waller suggesting torture. It’s testament to Amell’s acting abilities to be able to juggle so many iterations of the character and his emotional journey. Oliver hesitates and the prisoner calls him on it, telling him, “you don’t have it in you. You’ve killed, but torture is harder. For those with a conscience inflicting pain is harder than death.” Oliver tells him he’ll figure it out to save all the people at risk, but even as he says this, we see the bomb go off in the distance. Waller then forces Oliver to walk amongst the dead and injured, showing him what his own “weakness” has cost.

Waller tells Oliver that “there are people in this world who deal only in extremes. It’s naïve to think anything but extreme measures will stop them.” Oliver tells Waller that he doesn’t have the stomach for torture, and she tells him that torture is an art form and as such it’s a skill to cultivate. She thinks he has both the stomach and the talent for it.

I thought this episode really gave us some great insights into Lyla. She’s clearly prepared to make the hard calls, like sanitizing a Suicide Squad. She checks in with Oliver to make sure everything’s alright between him and “Speedy.” It’s funny that she means Barry but Oliver immediately thought of Roy – who he wanted to call Speedy. Oliver tells Lyla that he and Barry had a bit of a difference of opinion about the way the world works. Lyla looks pointedly at Diggle – her own conscience – and says she knows what he means. Lyla then goes on to say, “there are people in the world who deal in extremes…” and Oliver finishes, “and it would be naïve to think that anything less than extreme measures would stop them.” They are able to finish each other’s sentences because they are speaking Waller’s sentences. Both were trained by Waller after all. It’s possible that Diggle understands Oliver so well because he understands Lyla too.

Lyla then goes on to say “Sometimes bravery isn’t enough. Sometimes the world requires us to be bold.” That is the title of the episode, of course, but it's surely also be an easter egg reference to the DC title of that name. Oliver adds to this final sentiment, “Whatever the personal cost.” On this night part of the personal cost is Lyla getting hurt.

When Oliver wants to take on all the blame, Barry tries to convince him that it isn’t all on his shoulders. This is another fantastic scene between Gustin and Amell and both are fantastic in it. Oliver tells Barry that what he does takes conviction – boldness? – but it’s ugly. Oliver fears that every time he does it, he’s trading away a little piece of himself and slowly but surely he’s losing Oliver Queen. Once again, Barry is his reality check and tells him he thinks he’s full of crap. Barry tells Oliver that rather than everything he’s been through taking away his humanity, it’s actually because of his humanity that he’s survived. Not only survived but become a hero. Barry maintains that if he didn’t have a light inside of him, Oliver couldn’t do the good he does.

In the final confrontation, Oliver manages to pin Boomerang, but it’s the team working together to disarm all five bombs together which allow Oliver not to have to resort to torture.  Boomerang tells Oliver that he’s weak, but Oliver tells him that not torturing Boomerang means he still has some humanity left. Of course, when Boomerang tries to go for one of his boomerangs, Oliver doesn’t hesitate to shoot him in the hand.

The rest of the team return to the theme of the difference between Starling and Central city. Cisco maintains that people like Barry are the hope against the crazy because they save people. After Lyla is wounded, however, even Cisco is more subdued. It’s funny when they go to Verdant for a drink and Cisco wants to know who the “hottie” is. It’s Thea (Willa Holland), who Roy claims as his ex and Felicity points out is Oliver’s sister. Cisco is really more concerned with how they deal with life when anyone they love could by killed at any time. Caitlin admits that they really haven’t been taking it seriously. She’s embarrassed that they give their villains silly code names, and suggests that the fact they have meta-powers makes them just seem less real.

There were lots of great moments in the episode that enhanced the tightly written central plots and themes. I loved Felicity casually hacking the Argus satellite right in front of Lyla with no remorse whatsoever. Caitlin shoving Cisco’s camera down so that he couldn’t take a picture of the Arrow and the Flash talking together. And of course, we had the sweet proposal between Diggle and Lyla. Naturally, any time there’s a looming wedding, I have to wonder if there also isn’t a looming death or breakup. Cisco’s final, “Screw you, Captain Boomerang,” is also hilarious. Oliver and Barry take Boomerang to the Island prison, and while they’re gone, Cisco improves Oliver’s suit with a polymer/Kevlar blend – now he doesn’t have to just dodge bullets! And Oliver has a surprise for Barry – a case for Barry’s suit in the Foundry when Barry comes to visit. More crossovers! Yes please!

I liked that they didn’t actually show us the end result of Barry and Oliver’s “contest.” I did like that Oliver’s explanation of his strategy and tactical awareness being a match for Barry’s speed. It’s a nice explanation for why you don’t have to have super powers to fight crime as a “super hero.” As I’ve already said, I liked that Barry was able to be a friend to Oliver by telling him that he’s wrong. That Oliver can inspire – not as the Arrow – “that guy’s a douche” – but as Oliver Queen.

What did you think of the episode? Do you regularly watch The Flash? Do you regularly watch Arrow? If you don’t watch both regularly, did you see both in the sequence? If not, did this episode still make sense to you? How did you like the blending of the teams? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.